This edition of Triple Helix highlights
three possible changes in British Law that could
lead to Christians receiving criminal convictions

The first involves Lord Joffe's Assisted
Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill (p4), which
requires doctors who are not willing to authorise
euthanasia to refer to other doctors who are; a move
most Christian doctors would view as complicity in
intentional killing.

The second involves the Racial and Religious
Hatred Bill currently traversing the House of
Lords, which some fear could put Christians behind
bars for seven years, simply for preaching the
Gospel (p15).

The third relates to a proposed revision of the
General Medical Council's guidance for doctors, Good Medical Practice, which could well be
interpreted by the courts as giving doctors a legal
obligation to refer abortion requests to
'sympathetic' colleagues. This comes together with
calls for doctors to report to the GMC colleagues
claiming the protection of the conscientious
objection clause in the 1967 Abortion Act (p7).

Given the biblical teaching that God institutes
human authorities
[1]and expects us to obey them,
[2] how ought we to respond?

Part of being a good citizen involves exercising
our democratic right to ensure that unjust laws are
kept off the statute books. The absence of a
conscientious objection clause in Lord Joffe's draft
euthanasia bill has already been widely criticised
and as a result is expected to be rectified when the
revised bill appears in late October/early November.
The GMC's proposed revision of Good Medical
Practice is still out for consultation
[3] and I would encourage Christian
doctors to make submissions by the closing date of
30 November. The Racial and Religious Hatred
Bill has still to be passed by the House of
Lords; and as I write this there is still time for
protest and amendment.

But if laws that discriminate against Christians
are passed, and obeying such laws involves
disobeying God, then Scripture is clear that there
is a place for civil disobedience. When the King of
Egypt ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all male
Hebrew children they refused to do so and God
commended and rewarded them.[4]
Rahab the harlot similarly refused to co-operate
with the king of Jericho in handing over the
innocent Israelite spies and was later praised for
her faith.[5]
The prospect of death did not stop Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego refusing to bow down to the image of
the king or Daniel persisting with public prayer.[6]When
Peter and John were commanded by the Jewish
authorities not to preach the Gospel they
replied,'We must obey God rather than men'.[7]So
whilst recognising that we have an obligation to
obey the governing authorities God has instituted,
nonetheless our obedience to him takes precedence if
the law of the land requires us to disobey him. It
is striking that these biblical examples include
refusals to participate in shedding innocent blood
or to refrain from preaching.

Daniel and his three friends were rescued
miraculously from their respective predicaments; but
there is of course no guarantee that God will turn
things in our favour if we are in a situation of
having to disobey the law. The long list of heroes
of faith in Hebrews 11 contains those who were
delivered from the consequences of civil
disobedience but also those who paid the price. And
paying the price through facing discipline,
job-loss, a fine or imprisonment may be what God
requires us to do.

I expect that in coming days we will increasingly
be calling on Christian colleagues to support us,
and Christian lawyers to advise and protect us in
such circumstances. We will no doubt win some battles
and lose others - but regardless we have the
confidence that we follow in the footsteps of a
Saviour who in facing everything the greatest Empire
on earth could throw at him, willingly carried the
cross and emerged ultimately victorious.

'Blessed are those who are persecuted because
of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you,
persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad,
because great is your reward in heaven, for in the
same way they persecuted the prophets who were
before you.' (Matthew 5:10-12)